heartprints

art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life

picasso

my main aim with the artistic release sessions has always been to open up a space where ordinary people like you and me can express their inner feelings without words.

when the three ladies arrived on saturday i could see the uncertainty and discomfort when they saw the empty canvasses on the table. we struggle with our imperfect understanding of art, our imperfect skills and the seemingly imperfect tools.

we share the Spirit’s ability to create, and we have no idea how God might choose to glorify Himself through our imperfect offerings. I want to share the stories of the art that was produced by human hands which brought life and colour to white canvasses and, in the process, produced the tears só necessary in the healing process.

I share their stories in their own words.

Anja van Zyl

In interpreting my work, I feel very strong that there are two sides to my life.

The right-hand side is my history, the story of my life. The words, torn paper and the brown blotches represent a lot of grief, sadness, hurt and pain. Although the brown patches represent a lot of pain, hurt and evil that took place, the sunflowers indicate the time in my life when God started the healing process. He showed me that in His eyes I am a sunflower because I always turned my head towards Him.

There were never a lot of people around me that assisted in my healing process. My healing journey was alone, and I learned to focus just on Him.

Above the sunflowers there is a representation of a broken wall. God showed me that He wanted to give me the New Jerusalem that He promised to us in Heaven. He specifically wants to give me a New Jerusalem at a place where the walls around the city was broken down by the enemy. It is my task to rebuild the walls around my city, just like Nehemiah had to rebuild the walls so that the Jews could return from exile.

God doesn’t want us to be in exile, He wants us to be in Jerusalem, but the walls need to be rebuilt up again from the ruins, not using new bricks, but old bricks from the ruins so that He can protect us from the enemy. We can build a new life in the place where God wants us to be, but He needs to be our Father and God over our lives. He is amid the government of the city, and it is my belief that my life must be governed by God.

My life turned out totally different from what I thought my life story would be. There are missing pieces and there were pieces that was torn out and left behind. The crinkled paper in the left bottom corner represents a piece of me that I had to leave there and move on.

The big silver shape at the top on the right side represents God and He is God over my broken life. He is God over everything that happened to me. I know He was with me even when I couldn’t feel His presence, when I was hurting in a very dark place filled with evil. I know He was with me every second of my life.

The blue on the left side is in sharp contrast to my old life. The blue represents God’s Majesty and His Kingdom. He is King of my life and every part of my life is now in His hands. I had to leave my history behind and move on. The butterfly indicates that I was born to be free, and that freedom comes from God. In His Kingdom I am as free as a butterfly.

The little dry branch with the dry leaves was when God called me to have a ministry for women that went through the same pain that I experienced. It started off with me being this dry little branch and I didn’t think I had much to give. My ministry is growing very slowly, and I am focusing on five women at this stage, represented by the five green leaves. I can already see that the seed that God planted is growing and although there is a lot of battles still present in these women’s lives, I can also see growth and development. Those small little green leaves are starting to grow into big and stronger trees of faith and belief in God.

While I am walking this road with these women, I know I am covered. He will keep me and be with me forever. His plans for me will prosper and I will live out His purpose for my life.

Elsabe Holtzhausen

ek het die oproep uit china gekry, dit het al begin donker word buite en ek het getwyfel of ek die oproep moet neem. dit was haar broer Hannes, sal ek asb. help… sy suster Elsabe is in die hospitaal na ‘n mislukte poging tot selfdood.

hierdie is haar woorde wat sy by hierdie stuk kuns van haar neergeskryf het saterdag

mislukte selfdood
hele bottel pille
so verskriklik bitter
elizabeth
elizabeth
is dit vir my wat hulle roep
kyk vas in my kind se pragtige bruin oë
lugpyp in my mond en keel
hande vasgebind
slaap of dood
engele sing
ek is wakker
verpleegsters se
goddelike stemme
my besef
God het my gered
uit die deurmekaarspul
wat ek wou stop
moes stop
want ek hoort nie hier
God weet beter
God red my
God gee my nog n kans
God – my anker
my toevlug
my redder
My Vader

dis eers vandag wat sy vir my die boodskap stuur wat sy vir Hannes gestuur het saterdag…

My prent: Ek het geen idee gehad wat ek wou doen nie.

Ek het lank terug gedink ek wil ‘n scrapboekblad maak van my ervaring en ‘n kruis moet deel wees daarvan.

Ek het dadelik die kruis gevat en wou toe pienk en blou papier hê, maar Liza het net die servet gehad wat pienk en blou in het. Sy is ‘n herfskleur mens. Ek het die musiek papier gekies en die servet en dadelik besluit ek gaan dit skeur en oormekaar plak.

Ek het die musiekpapier opgefrommel. Die bruin kleur oor alles is ‘n verouderingstegniek wat met een of ander olierige vloeistof met ‘n lap aangedruk word. Ek het toe dit alles klaar is die kruis silver geverf en dit toe geskuur en gekrap dat dit meer karakter het. Ek het besluit my prent moet landscape wees en die kruis moet oor die kante steek. Ek het 3 drie silwer plaatjies gekies en dit off-centre op die kruis geplak met gom. Ek het verskillende kleure van blou en ‘n paar geel en rooi gebreekte teëltjies gekies en dit onder op die prent vasgeplak met ‘n draai na bo.

Liza het toe gesê my prent is klaar.

Ek het gedink dit kan nie klaar wees nie, want die ander twee het lae en lae goed gedoen…? Ek het toe vir my prent sit en kyk en Liza het gevra wat sê my prent vir my?

Ek het nie geweet nie… Ek het later begin met die musieknote, want mooi musiek maak my siel rustig. Ek sien toe dat die musiek en die servetpapier eintlik soos chaos lyk en toe besef ek met ‘n harde snik dat dít my ervaring was toe ek in die hospitaal wakker geword het.

Andrew se oë was die eerste wat ek gesien het. In die chaos van die prent is die musiek die engelekoor wat ek eers die volgende oggend besef het die verpleegsters was wat gesing het. Ek het toe verseker geweet dat God my gespaar en gered het.

Daar is ‘n God 😭😭😭 Die sirkels is die Drie-Enigheid. Die klippies onder op die bladsy is my pad wat vol klippe, rotse en moeilik was. Ek het al baie van die klippe by God gelos – sommige op die op die kruis geplak…

Hannes ek het so gehuil toe ek al hierdie besef het. Ek kan nie glo dat ‘n canvas, servet, kruis, klippies en musieknote my hele wakker word en besef ek lewe en ek WIL lewe kan wees nie… Liza sê dit is die Heilige gees wat mens lei …

Ek hoop ek tik reg want die trane stroom oor my wange. Ek moet noudat dit alles droog is Jer 29:11 nog met ‘n swart pen op die prent skryf, want God het my deurgedra en vir my n belofte gegee…. 😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏

Ek het met my prent besef ek het “full circle” gekom. Andrew se vriendin dink my prent is “powerful”. Sy sien dat daar repitisie is, waar God my aanhou help en bystaan. Sy sien die klippertjies as my pad wat nog nie opgehou het nie, omdat dit opwaarts draai. Sy sien die klippertjies op die kruis as my “colorful heart” wat by God is. Sy sien dat al die chaos op die prent nie my “colorful heart” verander het nie.